FA President Dante Morelli, left, poses with award winner Brian DeMasi, center, and John Capurso who nominated Brian for the FA Award for Excellence in Adjunct Service. (photo by Cynthia Eaton)

Periodically you meet a new adjunct colleague—one who has been at SCCC for only a couple semesters—and you think, okay, now this is someone who really gets our students, who’s obviously smart and hardworking and also a solid teacher. In the past year, it has become obvious to us in the FA that Brian DeMasi (surname rhymes with glossy) definitely numbers among our excellent adjunct faculty.

FA Executive Council rep and instructor (soon to be assistant professor) of accounting John Capurso nominated Brian for this special recognition. John notes that while Brian has not been at SCCC for long, he has already had a significant impact on the business department, our students and even the college. This is certainly laudable for any colleague but especially so for adjuncts.

For example, last November John had collaborated with a number of colleagues to bring Deloitte to SCCC so students could get a sense of what working for one of the big four accounting firms might be like. With John coordinating and supervising the event on the Ammerman Campus, Brian was doing the same at Grant via Zoom to ensure that those students didn’t miss out on this valuable opportunity.

Also last fall Brian served as a faculty chaperone for the Accounting and Business Club to visit the JP Morgan Library and Museum in the city and, this spring, he accompanied Honors College colleagues as well as business and accounting students during a trip to Bloomberg headquarters. At Bloomberg, the group toured the office to see where the professionals work and where they record their radio and television programs, and even learned a little about how the Bloomberg terminal works. As a CPA with an M.S. in Accounting, Brian is well positioned to share his experiences and advice with SCCC students as they are immersed in these professional settings.

In addition, Brian gamely participated as a model in the Alumni Association’s Dress for Success fashion show and represented the business department at the spring Open House. Brian became the advisor of the Grant Campus Business and Accounting Club and has begun tutoring accounting at Grant as well. Fully engaged in the life of the college, Brian attends department meetings as well as the fall and the spring Professional Development Day and recently enjoyed seeing his first Commencement ceremony from the perspective of a faculty member.

While business and accounting students will always be at the center of Brian’s attention, he also has started becoming involved in the FA. We were happy to see Brian among the nearly 20 members we brought to the NYSUT Community College Conference in Saratoga last fall. Brian’s active involvement has not gone unnoticed by peers, and he was elected as Executive Council representative for adjuncts in business, accounting and communication studies effective May 9. We trust that Brian’s strong work ethic and sense of responsibility will benefit our colleagues in his constituency.

Many thanks go to John Capurso for nominating Brian, and please join us in welcoming and congratulating this strong, smart adjunct colleague.